Nowadays, people interested in improving their health spend much time in the gym doing physical exercises and weight training. One thing they all overlook is walking! It is an easy-to-do and highly effective exercise that can improve their physical and mental health!
Are you willing to tie up your shoes and hit the pavement? Get ready because you’ll see why walking is the ultimate exercise for transforming your body and mind.
Walking Benefits
Benefits for Your Physical Health:
According to the Mayo Clinic Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle article, walking raises your heart rate, strengthens muscles, and enhances cardiovascular health. This exercise also helps you lose weight and is a low-impact exercise that is gentle on your joints. So, it is appropriate for people of all fitness levels and ages.
Benefits for Your Mental Health:
MentalHealth.org mentions this exercise also improves your mental health. Research shows that when you walk regularly, your mental health improves. It reduces stress and anxiety, boosts your mind, and enhances cognitive functions. Even the function of your brain has improved.
Compare Between Walking and Other Exercises
Low-Intensity Exercise:
You may feel sore and tired afterward if you perform high-intensity exercises. But as per a Havard article, walking is a low-intensity exercise that is gentler on your body and allows you to reap its benefits without undue stress. Hence, people of all ages and fitness levels can walk as an exercise.
Accessible to Everyone:
This is another reason walking reigns supreme. You can do it almost anytime and anywhere! You can stroll through the park, walk to work, or pace around your living room. You can have a walk anytime and anywhere.
Integrating Walking into Your Daily Routine
Set Goal:
Are you ready to elevate this aerobic exercise to the next level? If so, you need to set achievable and logical goals to keep yourself on track and stay motivated. An article on the Pen State University website mentions that setting goals is vital for success.
For example, you can set goals on your daily step count or visit a new walking route. You should set a goal or target to keep you driven and focused. Then you can achieve your target!
How do you stay motivated?
If you cannot stay motivated, no problem! Do something as a reward after finishing the task so you will be interested in completing it. VeryWellFit.com mentions different ways to motivate yourself in their article.
For example, find a partner who will walk with you. Or you can also enjoy a post-walk smoothie or listen to your favorite podcast. These tasks make you feel motivated to finish the walk.
Scheduling:
Finding time to exercise can sometimes be an uphill battle in our busy lives. But the outstanding thing about walking is that you can do it anytime and anywhere. For example, you can take a quick walk during your lunch break or a stroll after dinner. You only need to find a suitable time that works for you and stick to it.
Tips for Effective Walking
Walk Properly:
You may not believe it, but there is a right and wrong way to walk. To get the most out of your stroll, maintain good posture, swing your arms naturally, and take brisk and purposeful steps. It would be best if you walked correctly, as mentioned in healthline.com’s reviewed article.
Varying Terrain:
Refrain from letting your walk get boring. Walk on different surfaces. Each surface offers unique challenges and rewards, from urban streets to wooded trails.
Adding Intensity:
If you’re ready to intensify your walks, incorporate speed walking intervals or tackle some hills to boost your heart rate and torch calories. A renowned Sports trainer, Amy Schlinger, mentions different ways to add intensity to your walking exercise.
Personal Story
Two years ago, I weighed 92 kg (203 lbs) and was 182 cm (5′ feet 11.66″ inches) tall. I am still that tall however, people call me very healthy-looking, not fat. I was desperate to reduce weight but not interested in doing any tiresome physical exercise.
Then, a physiotherapy trainer advised me to start walking daily to lose weight. She said I should walk for at least 30 minutes daily. I did more than that. I started walking for 40 minutes and sometimes walked for over 60 minutes at a stretch.
After doing so for one year daily, my weight was reduced to 74 kg (163 lbs), and I looked slim and not unhealthy anymore. I have been doing the same thing and will continue doing so. This exercise toned my body, made me look slim and good-looking, and significantly increased my fitness.
What I learned:
Setting goals is vital to starting walking. My initial goal was to walk for 30 minutes at a stretch. After that, you need to be motivated. Without that, walking daily for a long time is impossible!
Sometimes, I am motivated to buy tasty food from a restaurant 2 km from my place. Other times, I plan to purchase food items from a market 2 km away and cook tasty food at home. These types of plans worked for me like a charm!!!
Conclusion
If done regularly, this simple exercise effectively improves your body and mind. If you walk regularly, you will lose weight very soon, your body will become slimmer, your fitness level will improve, and your mind will become healthier. So, why are you still waiting? Get ready and start walking!
For Further Reading:
The Incredible Benefits of Low-Impact Exercises 05/09/2024
5 Best Reasons to Ease Into Exercise Programs
5 Of The Best Wellness Trends You Must Try
Author BIO
Rivu Majumder is an experienced freelance writer. He writes about health and nutrition, fitness, diets, technical, and crypto niches. He has also written blogs for many websites. Walking is his hobby, and he walks for at least one hour daily. By walking briskly, he reduced his weight from 92 kg to 74 kg in one year without following any diet or reducing his food intake.